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Renovating a house is a superb alternative to make a house extra useful, enhance consolation, and revitalize drab areas. A green approach to contracting and selecting supplies helps scale back waste and makes your house extra water and energy-efficient.
Apply these inexperienced ideas throughout the planning part of your house renovation venture, whether or not or not you do the work your self.
Repurpose When Possible
Begin by exploring what current supplies and fixtures will be repurposed, donated, and recycled earlier than sending them to a landfill.
Cabinetry, lighting, flooring, and plumbing fixtures can generally be refinished and repaired for a brand new look. Consider changing inefficient home equipment and plumbing fixtures to economize and sources in the long term as an alternative of changing cupboards and counters.
Donate Unneeded Materials
You can donate gadgets which can be nonetheless in good situation however don’t go well with the wants of your venture. The Habitat for Humanity ReStore accepts a wide range of home equipment, constructing supplies, furnishings, and extra.
Replace Inefficient Toilets & Appliances
Low-flow toilets can use half — and even much less — water than inefficient conventional fashions. The similar will be true of water-saving washers and dishwashers.
When deciding whether or not to switch home equipment, evaluate their water and energy consumption to new fashions to make an knowledgeable resolution. A not too long ago manufactured dishwasher, for instance, might use half the vitality of 1 put in 20 years in the past.
Find Salvaged Materials
Home renovation tasks that use salvaged supplies can have distinctive character and attraction. When searching for new supplies, discover the place you would possibly use reclaimed items as an alternative. Look on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, the ReStore, and even go to an area demolition web site.
Use Natural Finishes & Products
Many paints, varnishes, stains, and flooring supplies launch chemical substances, contaminating indoor air high quality. Whenever doable, choose finishes with low or no unstable natural chemical substances (VOCs) and search for Green Seal-certified products.
Look for Certified Green Products
Use Forest Stewardship Council-certified merchandise to make sure that the wooden in your renovation supplies got here from responsibly-managed forests. Look for ENERGY STAR home equipment, which meet extra stringent energy-efficiency necessities.
The Leadership in Energy and Efficient Design (LEED) certification program additionally has suggestions for purchasing sustainable products, similar to concrete with 30 p.c fly ash or sourcing bio-based supplies that meet the Sustainable Agriculture Network’s Sustainable Agriculture Standard.
Reduce Construction Waste & Debris
Using salvaged materials to your renovation venture sometimes generates much less packaging waste.
When buying new supplies, search for gadgets with as little non-recyclable packaging as doable. Consider donating surplus supplies or discovering new methods to make good use of them when your personal dwelling renovation is full.
Make Energy-Saving Improvements
Is your house correctly insulated and air sealed? Are there sure components of the house which have drafts or uneven temperatures? Home renovation tasks create a wonderful alternative for making dwelling efficiency enhancements. An infrared digital camera or having a home energy audit is a good way to be taught extra about the place your house is shedding vitality and to deal with these points.
Replace any dirty or ineffective insulation, seal gaps and cracks, and think about changing leaky or single-pane windows. Whenever doable, select insulation products that include pure supplies, don’t include dangerous flame retardants, and don’t off-gas VOCs.
Conserve Water
Do your sinks have water-saving fittings and are there water-saving showerheads? If not, a renovation venture is a superb alternative for water-conserving retrofits and to repair any plumbing leaks.
This article was initially revealed on October 30, 2019.
